Ciel Environment WIP

This underpainting was actually due Monday, but I didn't make a blog post because I wasn't really happy with the way it looked. Nothing wrong with it, but it wasn't working conceptually. This fictional culture is one obsessed with math and logical reason, and at the stage the underpainting was there wasn't enough architecture and repetition that represented that. I also have this really bad habit of painting in coral, ornage, and purple.

So, a lot of Shift+drag with the Brush tool and one Gradient Map later, something I don't feel as ashamed to put up. It still has a long way to go.

Architect, v. 2

Very happy to revisit this character's design, which is a bit less bizarre now but I think much stronger overall. Here are the main color palettes I'm considering, with the addition of this one which is really more of a less clashy alternative to #1.



And here are the rest of the automobile designs, which were all drawn and shaded before I started work again on the Architect. Now that the Architect is done, I want to go back to these and make 10 more designs -- but more 10 variations on the ideas posed here that I think work best. That five-wheeler, far left and one down, and the two motorcycles, are what appeals to me the most.

Advanced Concept Art

Todd Pittman, a man from Cincinnatti, OH, falls asleep behind the wheel on I-71. He wakes in a city he's never seen or heard of before. The society that inhabits Ciel is based in fantasy, worshipping mathematics as its religion, disinterested in beliefs identified as faith-based. The city is carved out of a mountain's peak, structured to follow the Fibonacci Spiral. Though Pittman has never seen anything like this city and the people who live in it, they have encountered humans before. The people resemble the mythological depictions of angels, perhaps in the same way dolphins and manatees have been mistaken for mermaids. There are other mountaintop cities like this one, but Ciel is the focus of this project. This design bible will represent Pittman's encounters and observations of Ciel and its people as he tries to learn where he is and how to get home.

These are two maps for Advanced Concept Art - the first assignment, a map and a synopsis of the culture we're going to spend the semester individually building. I'm not sure if the second one makes any sense, but it was an effort.

Jade Statue

Jade Statue, originally uploaded by Ntkufreak.

I submitted four pieces to the Society of Illustrators' student competition this year: the butterfly and dice still life I did a year ago, the reflected city landscape, the Vibhishana final, and this. I was going over my pieces with Rubino and the most drastic suggestion he had was adding that rightmost foreground tree -- I know it's not exactly a new piece, but I was so happy with how it changed the composition that I wanted to repost the new version.

Wish me luck with SoI! Let's bring the battle to 'em, MICA!

Vehicles (WIP)

Vehicles (WIP), originally uploaded by Ntkufreak.

Some thesis work. Not exactly complete; I still want to get at least 4-6 more ideas down, the more the better. But these are potential vehicles for my main character. I'm going for something that's boxy or at least a little clunky, specifically for desert travel, not really designed for speed... but is light enough to go fast if necessary.

I've drawn vehicles before, but not with this much intention. It's been a fun challenge and I'm getting faster at it, which is always good.

"91"

91, originally uploaded by Ntkufreak.

This is the final for the thumbnails I posted a few days ago. After painting rocks and water, it was nice to try something completely different.

This was for "91," a fun text-based RPG that's retro and yet with a modern story. Play it here, free online:

91.

Thumbnails for "91"

Thumbnails for "91", originally uploaded by Ntkufreak.

I've been working on a landscape commission for an online RPG called "91." I don't want to post the final until the client's approved it, but here are the four thumbnails I sent him initially. He picked #3, so you have an idea of what to expect!

And you can check out "91" here, and immediately play a demo version online.

http://startcontinue.com/ !

Though I'd read the 'How to Play' first :)